Dairy brands in India give Ayurveda twist to cash in on healthy beverage trend amid COVID-19.
With immunity assuming importance in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, dairy manufacturers in India are giving ‘Ayurveda’ twist to cash in on the growing popularity of healthy beverages with immunity boosting functionality, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
As the world is still waiting for a vaccine that will allow a return to normality, consumers are looking for other ways to boost immunity. Against this backdrop, traditional Indian Ayurveda ingredients such as turmeric and ginger are gradually gaining in popularity.
An analysis of GlobalData’s COVID-19 Tracker reveals that nearly 43% Indian consumers bought ‘White Milk’ products significantly more than before in week 10 (26-31 May 2020) against 36% in week 1 (25-30 March) while 37% bought dairy beverages significantly more than before in week 10 as compared to 28% in week 1. This clearly highlights the popularity of dairy beverages among the consumers during the pandemic.
Shagun Sachdeva, Consumer Insights Analyst at GlobalData, says: “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed Indian consumers’ priorities, spending habits and their ability to maintain certain commitments with brands, and subsequently encouraging companies to re-evaluate their approach and realign their portfolio. Dairy companies are queuing up to take advantage of the growth in demand for natural and Ayurveda products, which have been a sidelight for decades.”
For instance, dairy cooperative society Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets products under the Amul brand, recently launched ready-to-drink haldi milk (turmeric latte), ginger milk (ginger latte) and tulsi milk (holy basil latte). It is now planning to launch another range of Ashwagandha and honey milk (latte).
Mother Dairy also introduced butterscotch-flavored haldi milk (turmeric latte).
Indian multinational conglomerate ITC, which also offers dairy-based beverages, opted for an unique way to create health halo with fruit juices by collaborating with Amway India to launch immunity offering in fruit beverages.
Sachdeva concludes: “The launch of immune-boosting Ayurveda inspired ready-to-drink beverages not only addresses consumers’ immunity concern but also seems to capture the spirit of the times with the emotional value. Immunity-boosting products, which have been overlooked by a lot of companies in the past, have become the spotlight more than ever in the COVID-19 scenario and is creating opportunities for both big brands and the start-ups.”